NEWS HEADLINES

A Paradise man was seriously injured when he wrecked his pickup in Decatur Friday night after driving the wrong way on U.S. 380.

Kenneth Solomon, 50, crashed just before 9 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 380 and Business 380 near the Wise County Sheriff’s Office in Decatur. Prior to the crash, he was driving the wrong way on the highway, traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes.

Decatur Police Officer Michael Horsley said Solomon’s vehicle slid off the road and started to roll, but the driver’s side door, which was held shut with a bungee cord, popped open when Solomon was ejected through the driver’s side window.

The open door stopped the pickup from completing the roll, and when the door hit the ground it pushed the pickup back into the upright position. The vehicle came to rest in the grassy median between the eastbound lanes of U.S. 380 and Business 380.

Wise County medics transported Solomon to Wise Regional Health System in Decatur where they were met by CareFlite. He was flown to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and was listed in good condition Tuesday.

Horsley said Saturday night that there was no evidence of alcohol in the vehicle, but he has some questions that are still unanswered. He’s investigating whether the driver was intoxicated or possibly suffered a medical emergency prior to driving the wrong way on the highway.

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